Normandy Found
by Mistress-of-the-Moons
Summary: The Normandy...it's been found. Commander Jane Shepard has been tasked with finding twenty missing dog tags, reminders of those she couldn't save that day. Can she face her fear and make this trip alone, or will a friend step in and help her reunite with her past?


Normandy Found

"I'm going."

That one, simple sentence provoked uproar from Commander Jane Sheppard's crew. Miranda, extremely cold hearted to the entire situation, voiced her opinion quite soundly, simply stating that Jane was with Cerberus now and had no need to do anything the Alliance asked of her. Garrus on the other hand, being that he was currnetly the only other member on the squad that was apart of the original Normandy team, stated that Jane was the commanding officer, therefore it did not matter what the others said or thought, she could do what she wanted. Mordin didn't really have a say either way, only offering that he would tweak Jane's armor so that it could withstand the well below freezing temperatures of the planet, Alchera, where the ship had crashed.

One by one, the other crew members began to leave the conference room leaving only Jane and Garrus behind. After the doors closed, Jane sighed and rubbed her forehead.

"I knew they wouldn't understand." she mumbled.

Garrus shook his head.

"Of course not, they have no idea what it was like...what we were like back on the old Normandy. They could never begin to understand that connection."

Jane looked over at her friend.

"I'm not just going there to place the monument...there are still twenty members unaccounted for. Obviously they're dead...hell, even _I_ died. But that's twenty families who are looking for closure, and I intend to give them that."

Garrus nodded.

"That is understandable, Shepard. Your crew meant a lot to you. You sacraficed yourself just to save Joker, your piolt. Many in your position would not have done that. I'm just worried about you...can you handle seeing the Normandy again? She's completely destroyed, Shepard."

Jane looked down at her feet and placed her hands on the table.

"I know She's gone...but I have to do this, Garrus. For those families."

Garrus was quiet for a few minutes as he tried to think of something to say. While he was on board with Shepard visiting the wreckage...he did not think that she should go alone. What if seeing the shattered ship brought back memories of the day She went down? After all it took to bring Shepard back...could her mind withstand something that intense? Could those influx of memories somehow throw her into shock? Garrus only knew a little of what Cerberus actually put into Shepard to bring her back, but he did know that cybernetic implanting played a huge part, as evidenced by the scars on her face. He wanted to go with her, but didn't want to insinuate that he thought the commander was weak or in need of help.

Jane pushed a stray lock of her blond hair behind her ear and looked back up at Garrus. She wanted to ask him if he would accompany her, as she really did not want to go alone...but she did not want to appear weak. Jane scoffed. She'd seen some of the worst things the galaxy had to offer, rogue VI's, Husks, an Indoctrinated Saren, and a Reaper to boot. She was fearless in the eyes of many...but the thought of seeing her ship; of finding those dog tags of those that she couldn't save that day...it scared her to her core.

"Garrus...would you mind,"

Before Jane could finish, EDI's voice interrupted her over the com.

"We've reached Alchera, Shepard. You may descend."

"Thank you, EDI."

Garrus looked at Jane and caught her gaze. Her eyes were almost as blue as his. He saw a strong, confident woman before him, but there was something swimming in Jane's eyes that he never thought he would see.

Fear.

Before he could say anything, Jane was out of the room. She quickly hurried to the lab where Mordin was putting the finishing touches on her armor.

"Ah, Shepard. Just finishing here. New upgrades should keep you warm. Not for long though. May want to do this quickly."

Jane smiled.

"Thanks, Mordin." she stated as he handed her the armor.

"My pleasure." The Salarian replied.

Jane pulled her armor on and tucked her helemt under her arm. She then hurried to the Shuttle Bay and climbed into the Kodiak. After pulling her helmet on, Shepard pressed the desired buttons and activated the small 'drop shuttle'. EDI's voice sounded once again.

"Commander, Mordin would like to remind you again to keep an eye on how much time you are exposed to the elements. He estimates that you will have approximately two hours to locate the missing tags and place the monument before your upgrades will need recharging, meaning you will begin to feel the elements. Please use caution. Scans state that this planet is uninhabited, but the scans have been wrong in the past. Good luck."

"Thank you, EDI. Tell Mordin I'll be fine."

With that, Jane pulled the lever at her side and activated the Kodiak. It slowly rose into the air. The hatch opened, allowing Jane to drive the hovercraft out of the ship and onto the cold, snowy surface of Alchera. Jane slowly maneuvered the Kodiak into the air and down towards the planet. Because it was so dark, she really couldn't see out of the windshield. After feeling the Kodiak come into contact with the land, Jane flipped the switches once again to turn off the systems. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, turning on her oxygen in her mask as she opened the door.

Jane exited the Kodiak and felt her stomach plumet. All around her dark shapes stuck out of the snowy ground. She knew well enough that those weren't small hills, those dark shapes were the Normandy. Jane swallowed and walked forward. The snow crunched beneath the weight of her boots. She made it into a clearing where the old MAKO had crashed. It was almost completely buried in snow. Turning around, Jane made out the old CIC room. She drew her brows together and ran her hand over the scorched railing. A rush of memories came to mind. She saw herself, standing on the platform in front of the galaxy map, issuing orders to Joker about where to land for some long forgotten mission. She pictured Pressley, standing off to the side and grumbling about how he didn't agree with all the 'non-humans' on board. Jane blinked and noticed something towards the back of the wreckage. She maneuvered through the twisted shards of metal that were sticking out; careful to make sure her armor was not pierced. Eventually, Jane made it to the back and picked up a data pad. Miraculously, it was still intact. Jane gasped.

"This is Pressley's."

She quickly turned the data pad on and wasn't surprised to see that the majority of the logs had been erased, or severely damaged...but there were three that were still readable. The first was from the very beginning of the mission. Pressley expressed his concerns about having Nihlus, the Turian Spectre on the ship, and that worry increased in his second log, as he stated Jane was 'not thinking clearly' allowing Garrus, another Turian and Wrex, a Krogan Warlord of all things aboard the ship. Lastly, however, it looked as if Pressley had a change of heart. Jane smiled as she read over his words.

_I never thought I would say this...but I was wrong. After getting to know the Quarian, Tali, I'm starting to think aliens aren't that different from us after all. Garrus was a great addition to the team, and I'll even admit Wrex is too, though I still don't like to make eye contact, he is a Krogan after all. I guess I shouldn't have been so quick to judge...who knew at my age I'd still be learning new things?_

Jane smiled and turned the data pad off. Her Omni-Tool then flashed, alerting her that she'd used up ten minutes of her time. Jane cursed beneath her breath. She needed to start looking for those missing dog tags, but every time she passed a piece of the ship, she had to stop for a moment. Passing the destroyed mess hall, Jane remembered when she, Kaidan, and Ash tried to teach Garrus how to play poker, the one night she and Kaidan got into a mini food fight of sorts, the night he almost kissed her...

Jane shook her head and frowned. No need to bring that memory back. After all, Kaidan was still with the Alliance and since Jane was now working with Cerberus, regardless if she trusted them or not, he didn't want anything to do with her. As Jane continued to dig through the snow searching for dog tags, she tried to clear her mind and not think of the fact that after all this time she still had feelings for Kaidan. She understood that it was hard for him, thinking that she had been dead for two years and then suddenly showing up, but she didn't understand why he would be so cold. No, she didn't trust Cerberus, she didn't trust The Illusive Man, but they brought her back to life. She had a huge debt to repay, and if that meant working for them to help stop the Collectors, then that's what she would do. Kaidan, however, was still as stubborn as ever and wouldn't listen to reason. Jane sighed again and attempted once more to put her memories behind her...but as she continued to walk through Alchera and through the wreckage of the Normandy...that task became more and more difficult.

Back aboard the ship, Garrus shook his head and gave up on calibrating the ship's guns. He had been doing this every day since he joined Shepard again, that gun was ready to go. Garrus couldn't help but feel worried. Jane had only been gone for about an hour, yet it felt so much longer than that. He knew she shouldn't have gone alone. Why didn't he say anything when he had the chance? And what about Jane? Garrus had a feeling she was going to ask for his help before EDI interrupted them.

"Garrus, Mordin would like to see you in the lab." EDI stated.

Slightly startled at her voice, Garrus nodded to himself and headed for the tech lab. On his way, he passed by Miranda who was speaking in hushed tones with Jacob. Garrus was able to catch a little of their conversation.

"I don't understand why she feels the need to do this. Those dog tags are going to be impossible to find. The Alliance declared her dead without searching for her. She should feel insulted that they're making her place the monument, when that monument should have been there a long time ago." Miranda said.

Jacob shook his head.

"I can understand why the Commander would want to do this though, Miranda. She wants to provide those families comfort and closure."

Miranda sighed.

"Well, it's a waste of bloody time if you ask me."

Garrus frowned as he entered the elevator. He was beginning to side with Jack's attiude towards Miranda more and more each day. Pressing the desired floor button, Garrus waited patiently until the elevator doors opened again. He stepped out into the hall and headed straight for the tech lab. Upon entering, he was surprised to see that Mordin was working on his armor.

"Garrus, glad you could come. Getting worried about Shepard, has been some time since she dropped to Alchera. Time almost up on her upgrades. Please search for her?"

Garrus' eyes widened.

"You think she's in trouble?" he asked.

Mordin looked at him.

"Hard to say. Scans show no life form on Alchera, too cold. But time on upgrades almost up, she will be exposed soon."

Garrus nodded.

"I'll bring her back safe and sound. Is my armor ready?"

Mordin nodded.

"Yes, should have same amount of time as Shepard's."

Garrus thanked the scientist and quickly pulled his armor on. In no time at all he made it to the shuttle bay and into the spare Kodiak aboard the ship. Soon enough, Garrus landed on Alchera as well. He quickly exited the hovercraft and turned his Omni-Tool on.

"Shepard, it's me. Where are you? Mordin sent me to help."

It took a moment, but Shepard eventually responded, though she was a little hard to hear from the howling wind.

"I'm near the old crew quarters." she said quietly.

Garrus pressed a few buttons on his Omni-Tool and was able to locate Shepard's position. He hurried over there and found her sitting on her knees. Garrus furrowed his brow as he approached her. Upon reaching her, he noticed that she had indeed located all the dog tags, they were all laid out in front of her.

Jane turned to Garrus and swallowed.

"Well...I found them." she said in a shaky voice.

Garrus looked at Jane. Although he couldn't see her face because of her helmet, he could tell by her voice that she was crying, or had been at some point. Jane turned back around and sighed.

"I couldn't save them...not any of them. This is all that's left, their families don't even have bodies they can bury." she stated coldly.

Garrus took another step towards her.

"It's not your fault, Shepard. You did everything you could possibly do to save those that did make it. These families aren't going to hate you, Jane. They're going to thank you for finally bringing them the answers they need, for finally bringing their son or daughter home. Even if it's not their body, these dog tags were once 'theirs'...and I'm sure that will be enough for them."

Jane's Omni-Tool flashed again, stating that she only had fifteen minutes before her upgrades failed. She looked up at Garrus and smiled.

"I suppose you're right. Thanks, Garrus."

Garrus offered his talon to help her stand.

"For what?" he asked.

Jane placed her hand in his talon and stood. She looked up at him and smiled a true, genuine smile.

"For always being there for me. I appreciate it."

Garrus blinked, a little taken aback by her comment.

"Ah...you're welcome." he replied.

Jane gathered the dog tags and Pressley's data pad. She also retrieved her old helmet from before and tucked the battered thing beneath her arm.

"Will you help me place the monument? It seems fitting that you and I do it together, since we're all that's left of the old crew."

Garrus nodded.

"I'd be honored, Shepard."

They walked together back towards the Kodiak where the monument was placed. With Garrus' help, Jane was able to lift the monument with ease. They quickly carried it to the old CIC and placed it in front of the debris. Jane and Garrus both stepped back to admire the monument. It was golden in color and in the shape of the Alliance symbol. Engraved on its pedestal was the Normandy and all the souls that were lost aboard the vessel. Jane closed her eyes as she read over Ash's name.

"Garrus?" she asked softly.

He turned and looked at her.

"Yes?"

Jane took a deep breath.

"Do you think I made the right choice, back on Virmire? When I chose to save Kaidan and not Ashley?"

Garrus was quiet a moment as he thought over what to say. He understood fully why Jane chose to save Kaidan, she was in love with him after all...but after his harsh treatment towards her on Horizon, Garrus had a feeling that Jane would be questioning her previous decision. Many didn't agree with her choice that day, stating that it was her heart making it and not her mind. Garrus placed his talons behind his back and sighed.

"You were in love, Shepard. Anyone else that was in your position would have done the same thing, you have to know that. While we all miss Ash, I don't judge you for choosing Kaidan that day. You did what you thought was best."

"Yeah, and look how that came to bite me back in the ass." Jane grumbled.

Garrus chuckled softly.

"You know Kaidan, he's just stubborn. He'll come around, Shepard. It'll just take time...though I'm not sure how much of that we have on our side working with The Illusive Man. Stopping the Collectors will be a suicide mission, Shepard. I don't have any doubts that you'll succeed...but the possibility of failing is there. Kaidan probably realizes this and doesn't want to rekindle your relationship for the very reason that he's afraid he will lose you once again...and if that happens Shepard, there will be no Project Lazarus to bring you back. Plus there's no guarantee that Ash would've acted any differently if she were here."

Jane nodded after a moment.

"You make a good point." she said.

Garrus turned to her and smiled.

"It'll all work out, Shepard...and if it doesn't, then you move on. I'm sure there are many others who would do anything in their power for a chance to be with you."

Jane raised her eyebrows, suddenly intrigued at what Garrus had to say. She turned to face him.

"Oh yeah? Anyone in particular?"

Garrus looked down at her and suddenly realization dawned on him.

"Oh I um...I hadn't, or I wasn't trying to say that we or I..."

Jane threw her head back and laughed. She playfully punched Garrus in his arm and shook her head.

"Ignore me, I'm just teasing. We should head back. My upgrades are almost out of juice."

Garrus watched Jane as she walked back to the Kodiak and shook his head.

"Real good, Vakarian...very smooth." he mumbled to himself.

"Garrus, I can still hear you, your com is turned on." Shepard's voice rang in his ear.

Garrus took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

"Oh...right. I forgot that."

Jane chuckled to herself. If Turians could blush, she had a feeling Garrus had one right about now. She climbed into the hovercraft and ascended back into the air. Upon reentering the SR-2, Jane removed her helmet and waited for Garrus to park. He did and climbed out of the spare Kodiak. They stood together quietly for a moment just staring at each other. Garrus, still uncomfortable with his remark earlier, made an attempt to apologize once again.

"Shepard, I really wasn't trying to insinuate anything about you and I...I was just,"

Before he could finish, he felt Jane's lips against the side of his cheek. Garrus blinked as Jane pulled away from him and smiled.

"Thanks again for checking up on me, Garrus. You're a good friend."

After a moment, Garrus cleared his throat and nodded.

"You're...you're welcome, Shepard." he stated softly.

Jane winked at him before walking towards the elevator. Before the doors closed, however, she saw Garrus touch the side of his face and smile the largest smile she'd ever seen. Upon entering her quarters, Jane removed her armor and sat at her desk. She typed a response to Admiral Hackett, letting him know that she had indeed recovered all the missing dog tags and that she would deliever them to him personally once she made it back to the Citadel. Jane closed her messages and turned to see Kaidan's picture on her desk. She took the frame in her hands and stared at it for a long moment. His harsh words came back to mind as Jane stared at his picture.

After a moment, Jane turned to her left and opened her desk's side compartment. She dropped Kaidan's picture into it and closed it with her foot. Garrus was right, it was time she moved on. Kaidan obviously had, so why shouldn't she?

Jane sat back in her chair and smiled. With finding the missing dog tags and removing Kaidan's picture, she felt as if she was finally ready to move on from her past and begin life anew.

_A new ship, a new squad, and maybe, just maybe, _Shepard thought...as she found herself thinking of Garrus...

_A new life._


End file.
